Soo Greyhounds players Nick Cousins (27) and Andrew Fritsch (7) are among three players on the OHL team accused of sexual assault. (QMI Agency Photos)

Three players on Sault Ste. Marie's OHL hockey team, the Soo Greyhounds, are accused of sexually assaulting a female.

The alleged incident happened Aug. 24, 2012 at a central-area residence, said Sgt. Terry Biocchi of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. He did not know if anyone else was at the address at the time of the assault. It did not happen during a party.
Each player is accused of having sexual intercourse with an adult female. The victim, who knew the players, reported the incident to police.

The charges, made Saturday, were released by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service early Sunday morning.

In a statement, the Ontario Hockey League team said they will support the trio "as they go through the legal process."

"Over the course of time that each of these players has been part of our program we have seen each of them make excellent strides both on and off the ice," the release said. "The strides made over each young man's tenure here are what makes today's situation so surprising."

Nick Cousins, 19, of Belleville, Ont., Andrew Fritsch, 19, of Brantford, and Mark Petaccio, 18, of Sicklerville, N.J., were charged with sexual assault. Cousins and Fritsch have a court date of Oct. 1. Petaccio appears in bail court on Monday. That appearance is due to his American citizenship.

“If he disappears from here, he's gone,” said Biocchi. “We're asking that he attend bail court for specific conditions.”

Petaccio was originally held at Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. He was transferred to Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre early Sunday afternoon following a weekend and statuatory holiday court appearance via video conference.

The allegations are the most serious ones faced by the Greyhounds since then-coach John Vanbiesbrouck admitted to using a racial slur toward team captain Trevor Daley, who is black, in 2003.

The OHL fined the team $50,000 and banned Vanbiesbrouck indefinitely from the league.